UKRAINE: THE SITUATION 260-7. NOVEMBER 2022

The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a rare statement on November 7 in response to the outcry of Russian milbloggers on November 6, reporting high losses and poor leadership of the 155th Marine Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet.

Russian milbloggers published and circulated a letter claiming that the Russian military leadership had thrown the brigade into an "incomprehensible offensive" near Pavlivka in the Donetsk region, resulting in over 300 dead, wounded, and missing in four days, and losing half of their equipment. The letter explicitly held the commander of the Eastern Military District, Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov, the commander of the 155th Marine Infantry Brigade, Colonel Surab Akhmedov, and the Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov responsible for the brigade's losses, calling on the governor of Primorsky Krai, Oleg Kozhemyako, to conduct an independent review of the actions of the officers involved in the planning and execution of the recent Russian offensive in the western Donetsk region. Many Russian milbloggers reacted to the letter in a similar tone as after the destruction of a Russian motorized rifle brigade during the crossing of the Siverskyi Donets on May 11, prompting many war-supporting milbloggers to intensify their direct criticism of the Russian military.

The full Russian Offensive Update 260 can be found directly at UNDERSTANDING WAR.

UNDERSTANDING WAR online